Hampshire
St Peter's Close, Goodworth Clatford, Andover
Goodworth Clatford, “the ford where the burdock grows” straddles the river Anton, a tributary of the Test. It is a peaceful, small English village in a rural setting, with its church, two pubs and village store and post office, just one mile to the South of the busy town of Andover, which services all day to day needs– and thus offers the best of both worlds to those that live there. It is its location that makes this such a perfect place for country lovers to live. Served by the M4 and fast trains from Andover to London’s Waterloo, Goodworth Clatford is at the head of the beautiful Test Valley. Country lanes wend there way south beside the River Test, through Longstock; the market town of Stockbridge, with its attractive shops and good restaurants, headquarters of the exclusive Houghton Fishing Club; Kings Somborne - to the ancient and historic town of Romsey, whose Abbey is also the cultural centre of the valley.
The river Test, not only provides some of the best fly fishing in the world, but, in the past turned many mill wheels, both for weaving cloth and milling grain, bringing with it prosperity and sustenance to the surrounding area, only temporarily halted by the devastation caused by the Black Death. Brewing and tanning were also important industries.
Timbermill Court, Fordingbridge
Fordingbridge, an attractive, historic market town on the banks of the River Avon, spanned by an impressive bridge with seven elegant arches, is the Northern gateway to the New Forest. A town of beautiful buildings, small shops and riverside walks make it a delightful place to live. Formerly home to Augustus John, it lies on the A338, half way between the city of Salisbury to the north and Bournemouth and the sea to the south.
From the earliest times the area was inhabited, as evidenced by traces of the Neolithic and Bronze age artifacts, which are still to be found. The Roman villa at Rockbourne is nearby, as is the beautiful Saxon church at Braemore, whilst St. Mary’s church dates back to Norman times – and the late Victorian Union workhouse, built to house 100 inmates, reminds us of the harsher realities of the agricultural and industrial revolutions. Much of the local history is connected to the New Forest and the fight of commoners to keep their rights. Requisitioned by William I as a royal hunting preserve, the local population suffered draconian penalties for those that failed to obey the law – and later the Crown’s requirements for timber to build ships for the navy. It was not until the mid 19th century that the rights of commoners were fully recognized. To-day the New Forest is a centre for horses and riding – and where wild ponies are left in peace to graze.
Wyke Mark, Winchester
The peaceful walk from the Hospital of St. Cross, built in 1136 and still inhabited, along the water meadows, by the College cricket ground, into Winchester College and on to its magnificent Cathedral opens one in minutes to the majesty and glory, the history and architectur e of Winchester’s city centre, which must be the most beautiful in England: remaining virtually unaltered for 600 years.
At different times in its history Winchester was the victim of pestilence and war. The Black Death allegedly wiped out half its population in 1348, returning again in 1361 and spasmodically for several centuries thereafter. It paid a price in two civil wars. Having caught and imprisoned King Stephen, Empress Matilda besieged the castle in 1135, before herself being besieged by forces raised by King Stephen’s wife. In making her escape parts of the town were destroyed. Cromwell occupied Winchester in 1645, destroying the castle: only its Great Hall remains. Peace and culture returned to Winchester in Georgian times. Many houses were built, or restored with a Georgian façade – but it was not until the arrival of the railway in 1840 that prosperity returned. The city has excellent communications only minutes from the M3, a short drive from Southampton and Portsmouth Docks, Southampton Airport and with rail links to London and the South Coast.